Prince William is tipped to hand a major role to his cousin, Zara Tindall when he becomes King, sources have claimed. The Prince of Wales will reportedly be taking a refreshed approach to his reign when the time is due and is planning on utilising his cousins, Zara, her brother, Peter Phillips, as well as Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
William’s cousins are not working royals, and while the heir reportedly has no plans to put them on the payroll, they are major candidates in supporting the monarchy when he takes over the throne. Zara, a former Olympian equestrian like her mother, the Princess Royal, is likely to take up the “reins of royal equestrian pursuits” as it is something William is reportedly “not comfortable with”.
The Prince of Wales is known to not share the same level of passion for racing with his father, King Charles and late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth.
A racing source who has spoken to William told The Sunday Times: “I never get the feeling the whole top hat and racing is really his thing, and he’s said as much.
“He’s never really seemed comfortable doing it.”
Meanwhile, a source close to the heir added: “[Prince William] understands how important Ascot is, not just to the racing community but to UK plc.”
The outlet claimed that the prince will likely not be “as hands-on with Ascot and the royal stud at Sandringham, Norfolk, as the current and previous monarchs,” which could provide a window of opportunity for cousin Zara.
Last year, William opened up about his “different” approach to monarchy during a visit to Cape Town for his Earthshot prize awards.
The prince said: “I’m trying to do it differently and I’m trying to do it for my generation … I’m doing it with maybe a smaller ‘r’ in the royal, if you like.
“So it’s more about impact, philanthropy, collaboration, convening and helping people. I’m also going to throw empathy in there as well because I really care about what I do.
“It helps impact people’s lives and I think we could do with some more empathetic leadership around the world.”
